Faltering
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: When Lady returns to Sodor, she discovers the real reason that Diesel 10 is confined to his shed most of the time.
1. Chapter 1

It was a fine summer's day on the island of Sodor, and everyone was very excited, for today was the day that Lady was returning. However, Lady herself was apprehensive. She was well aware of the fact that her long-time rival, Diesel 10 was a permanent resident. Despite being assured by the Fat Controller that the clawed diesel was completely under control, she was still very worried that he would try to destroy her again. Her driver, Burnett Stone, shared the same concerns. However, this did not stop them from returning.

Lady was greeted with a warm welcome from everyone, and the Fat Controller allowed her to stay at Tidmouth for a while so that she could talk to the engines. After quite a bit of chatting about all that had gone on in her absence, the subject of Diesel 10 was brought up.

"I'm not sure how the Fat Controller got him under control, but he did!" Henry said with a smile.

"Where is he, anyway?" Lady asked.

"Diesel 10? He stays shut up in his shed at the Vicarstown Dieselworks most of the time. Rarely comes out," said Edward.

"Most likely because whenever he does, he always causes trouble," said James.

"Which is exactly why he stays in his shed nearly all of the time. The Fat Controller must have to punish him a lot," said Gordon.

Lady gulped. She hoped that during her stay on Sodor, Diesel 10 would not be let out of his shed, especially if he was just as troublesome as before. As the engines were talking, she noticed that Percy was rather quiet, and not joining in the conversation. Rather, he was occasionally glancing at the bigger engines, and looking as if he really wanted to say something. Lady wasn't the only one to notice, for Thomas piped up and said, "Is something the matter, Percy?"

"No, not really…it's just…" Percy trailed off.

"Just what?" Thomas asked as all the others quieted down.

"Um…" Percy trailed off, looking apprehensive.

"C'mon Percy, you can tell us," said Edward.

"Well, alright," Percy said, a bit hesitantly. "You see, you all are wrong about why Diesel 10 doesn't come out much,"

At that, everyone was silent for a good few seconds.

"Then, why _does_ he stay in his shed so much? Surely if he wasn't being punished, he'd be out there working and being useful," said Gordon.

"Well, you see, Diesel 10 isn't being punished. He stays in his shed so much…because he's sick a lot," said Percy.

Everyone looked at him. "And how would you know this, little Percy?" said Gordon.

"I bet Diesel was telling lies to get you to feel sorry for Diesel 10," said James.

"Actually, I uh…I visit the Dieselworks every week," Percy said sheepishly.

"You _what_?!" Gordon, James and Henry all exclaimed.

"Why would you want to visit that dirty, dingy, smelly, greasy old place? The Dieselworks is no place for a little steam engine like you," said Gordon.

"Tell me you haven't been hanging out with Diesel 10 again!" said Emily.

"Well, actually…" Percy trailed off.

"Don't you remember what happened _last_ time?" Thomas said pointedly.

"I do, but—" Percy started.

"Diesel 10 is a no-good, evil, conniving troublemaker!" Emily exclaimed.

"He's probably just pretending to be sick so that you'll feel sorry for him!" said James.

"I really don't think he's faking it—oh, here he comes right now! Hello!" Percy said as he whistled at the approaching warship.

Lady's eyes widened as she quickly reversed, hitting the safety buffers with a jolt. There was no way she could escape if he was after her! Yet, to her surprise, Diesel 10 merely gave her a dirty look before rolling onto the turntable.

"Are you feeling better, Diesel 10?" Percy asked him. However, before the big diesel had a chance to respond, James cut in: "Of course he is, because he's lying to you and pretending to be sick!"

"We won't let you harm Lady!" said Thomas.

"Why don't you go back to your shed before the Fat Controller finds out you escaped and locks you up in there, you nasty, filthy, useless oil stain?!" said James.

At that, Diesel 10 moved forward, getting right up in James' face. "You watch your mouth, you rusty old—" he started, but his sentence was cut short by a rather nasty coughing fit.

"Euck!" James exclaimed as he felt something splatter on his face and onto his buffers. Both Emily and Edward gasped. Curious, Lady inched forward to take a peek at what was happening, and spotted James getting a face full of dark brown splatters and splotches.

"Oh dear," Lady said quietly.

Finally, Diesel 10's fit subsided, and he reversed back onto the turntable. "Stupid steam engines," he muttered as he was turned around. Without another word, he left them; his engine making a sick rattling noise as he left.

"EUGH!" James exclaimed loudly, scrunching his face up in disgust.

"Ewwww!" Emily exclaimed, and within seconds all of the engines were voicing their disgust. Well, almost all of them, anyway. While Percy had kept quiet, feeling rather sorry for the big diesel, Lady had left without anyone noticing.


	2. Chapter 2

Lady approached the Dieselworks cautiously, taking care not to be noticed. She stopped outside of the main shed, peering inside. Diesel 10 was idling in front of his private shed as several workers looked him over. She could see Den and Dart, both of whom were looking on with concerned expressions. She overheard Dart telling Diesel 10 that he should have stayed at the works, and Den mumbling something too quietly for her to hear clearly.

Lady wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't stand to see another engine suffering, and it was clear that Diesel 10 was in bad shape. However, she was afraid to get too close to him.

"I know you're lonely, but running about the island only made it worse!" Dart said with a sigh.

"What does it matter?" Diesel 10 replied bitterly.

"What does it matter? Your friends don't want you getting worse, that's what it matters!" Dart scolded.

"What friends?!" Diesel 10 spat.

"Well, there's Paxton, and um…" Den trailed off.

"And Percy," said Dart.

"And who else?" Diesel 10 said pointedly.

"And us, Diesel 10," said Dart.

"Pah! It's your job to help sick engines," Diesel 10 scoffed.

"Yes it is, but that doesn't mean that we don't care. I'd hate it if anything were to happen," Dart said softly.

The more Lady listened to the conversation between the diesels, the more she felt sorry for who she once considered an enemy. It was clear that not many other engines liked him at all. Even worse, he wasn't feeling well, and being cooped up at the works with no one visiting except for two engines must be horrible for him.

After a while, Diesel 10 backed into his shed to rest. The doors were left open as he drifted off to sleep. Soon enough, Den and Dart left the main shed. It was then that Lady decided to go inside. Despite feeling like this was a really bad idea, she inched closer to the sleeping warship, taking in how pale and sickly he looked. A part of her felt excited; being so close to the so-called clawed menace gave her an inexplicable thrill, the type of thrill caused by doing something forbidden and dangerous. She continued to creep closer until she was only a few feet away.

It was then, Diesel 10 woke up abruptly, as another terrible coughing fit wracked his frames. Lady yelped, backing away quickly. Unfortunately, she hadn't noticed that the turntable had been lowered, and she fell backwards, landing harshly on her bunker. Terrified, she screamed for help as she mentally cursed herself. She was most certainly trapped now, if Diesel 10 wanted to destroy her, she had no chance of escaping.

Still coughing, Diesel 10 emerged from his shed, and to her horror, looked her straight in the face. At that, the little steam engine burst into tears. It was over, she thought.

"What are you doing here?!" Diesel 10 said between coughs.

"I—I—" Lady stammered as the turntable began to raise. She shut her eyes tightly as Diesel 10 grasped her buffers with his claw, bracing herself. For all she knew, he was going to tear her apart.

"Well?!" Diesel 10 demanded. "Come to gloat?! To watch me suffer?!"

"N-no!" Lady choked out, "I j-just wanted t-to help," she sobbed.

"Help?! _You_?!" Diesel 10 scoffed, glaring at her intensely.

"I—I don't want to s-see any engine suffer," Lady said with a sniffle.

"OH, so you're here to put me out of my misery!" Diesel 10 said caustically. "Well, _GO AWAY_!" he shouted.

"I'm not here to do that!" Lady said, astounded that he would accuse her of wanting to scrap him.

"I don't believe it, you horrid little—" Diesel 10's sentence was cut off by a rather intense coughing fit. Den and Dart, who had heard the commotion from outside were now in the main shed. Den coupled to Lady and pulled her away from Diesel 10 as several workmen tended to him. She caught a glimpse of one of them wiping his face with a towel as oil leaked from his mouth and nose.

"Believe it if you can," Lady said sadly.

However, the warship ignored her, and soon Den had pulled her out of his sight. Moments later, Dart caught up to them. "Lady, I need to have a word with you," he said.

"I'm sorry. I should have just stayed away," Lady said, looking down. At that, she puffed away from the Dieselworks.

"Lady, wait!" Dart shouted, but the little steam engine didn't listen. Sighing, Dart followed. He knew something, and he had to tell her.


	3. Chapter 3

When Dart finally caught up to Lady, he found her sitting on a siding, looking very discouraged, and quite shaken up. "Lady," he said softly, "There's something I think you should know…about Diesel 10."

Lady only looked at him in response; she did not say a word.

"Well, you see Lady, Diesel 10 hasn't been doing well for uh, quite some time now. We're basically doing our best to…keep him going as long as possible," said Dart.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lady said, looking straight at him.

"Well, the Fat Controller had discussed the matter with Den and I, and…" Dart gulped slightly. "He's going to be scrapped eventually."

"What?" Lady gasped, not believing what she was hearing. "But he would never send any engine to be scrapped—not even him!"

"No, Lady, it's not like that. Diesel 10 is…on his way out, if you know what I mean. Look, Lady, don't tell anyone about this. I'll get in big trouble if anyone finds out. Me and Den are the only ones who are supposed to know that. Don't even tell Diesel 10. He doesn't even know…the Fat Controller is afraid if he knows he'll…give up…" said Dart.

Lady sat there for a few moments; processing the information she had just been given. If this was true, she certainly wouldn't have to worry about him harming her. Then again, she really didn't want this at all. Besides, she never really knew much about Diesel 10 other than the fact he seemed to hate her. Truthfully, she hadn't the faintest idea as to why. Figuring that this would be her only chance to find out, and perhaps even get to know him, she finally spoke: "I…I'd like to help, in any way I can."

Dart was surprised by this, but he still accepted the offer. He and Den were already worked off their wheels with this, and some extra help was more than welcome. As Lady followed Dart back to the Dieselworks, he assured her that Diesel 10 would do her no harm. Although Lady wasn't so sure about that, the moment she entered the main building, the big diesel looked at her warily. He wasn't scowling or snarling, to her surprise.

For a brief moment, the two locked eyes. Lady gave a warm smile, and Diesel 10 looked away.

"What do I do?" Lady asked in a hushed voice.

Before Den or Dart could respond, a loud clattering followed by a splattering sound filled the area. As it turned out, Diesel 10 had used his claw to knock over a rather large barrel of old, used oil onto one of the workmen who was tending to him.

"Why is she even here?!" Diesel 10 snapped, glaring daggers at Den and Dart.

"Now, that's not very nice," Den muttered.

"I don't care if it's not nice!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"She's only here to help," said Dart.

At that, Diesel 10 looked away from them.

"Is…he in any pain?" Lady asked quietly.

"Sometimes," Den replied shortly, "he um…seems OK at the moment."

Suddenly, the warship shouted angrily. " _What_ DO YOU _WANT WITH ME_?!"

Looking frightened, and feeling rather hurt for reasons she couldn't seem to explain, Lady looked away as she reversed and went back outside. Dart sighed as he also exited the main building. "He doesn't get many visitors…as a matter of fact, only Paxton and Percy ever come to see him," said Dart.

"I gathered that," Lady said; eyes downcast. For a moment, all was quiet, but that did not last long, as Diesel 10 was heard shouting once again. "AND HOW IS THAT PINK PUFFBALL SUPPOSED TO HELP?! I'm almost _certain that Sir Fatham Fat SIMPLY WON'T HAVE ME FIXED PROPERLY AND IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE OF_ -" Diesel 10 would have gone on, had he not been interrupted by another coughing fit, this one somewhat worse than the last.

"Oh, dizzy diesels! Not again!" Dart exclaimed as he rushed back inside. Somewhat reluctantly, Lady followed. She almost failed to notice Paxton, who had rolled in at about the same time.

"Ello Diesel 10, felling any better?" said Paxton.

"No…" Diesel 10 responded.

"Um, maybe it'll just take a while—oh, Lady! What're you doing here?" said Paxton.

"Helping…or trying to, anyway," Lady said dully.

"Oh, well that's awfully nice of you. Diesel 10 doesn't get many visitors," said Paxton.

"I noticed," Lady said, sounding a bit sad.

"What's the matter?" Paxton asked.

"He hates me," Lady said; eyes downcast.

At that, Diesel 10 sighed. "I don't trust her," he said.

"Why not?" said Paxton.

"She only cares about steam engines!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"That's not true at all! I care about all engines!" said Lady.

"Oh really?" Diesel 10 said pointedly.

"If she didn't care, she wouldn't have volunteered to help," Dart interjected.

At that, Diesel 10 looked down, not saying a word.

"I never got a chance to try to know you…can you please give me a chance?" Lady asked.

Diesel 10 sighed again. "Alright," he said reluctantly.

Lady smiled. "There, that's better," she said.

"Right…" Diesel 10 muttered.

"Um, goodnight you guys, I'm going to my shed," Paxton said with a yawn. As the little shunter left, Lady couldn't help but notice that tears were forming in the warship's eyes. As much as she wanted to ask him what was wrong, she didn't want to push it. She was unsure of what to do, as she didn't want to upset him more.


	4. Chapter 4

Lady had ended up spending the night at the Dieselworks that night. She had never seen Diesel 10 so sad. While she did feel sorry for him, she still was slightly apprehensive; a big part of her longed to comfort him, if he would only let her come close enough.

Lady found herself wishing that he would let her come close enough to touch him, yet she couldn't explain why she wanted that. Why was she suddenly so curious about him? Why did she want to simply be with him? A thought crossed Lady's mind and was quickly dismissed. There was no way she could have possibly developed affection or even _love_ for the engine that once chased her down.

As Lady was deep in thought, Diesel 10 awoke from his slumber. He gave Lady a dirty look. "I'm starting to think that Fat Hat is going to let me waste away, and I'm certain it's because _you_ returned! He wants to be rid of me!" he spat.

"I'm certain that's not the case! Topham cares for all of his engines," said Lady.

"Then why am I not getting any better?! Why am I getting sicker by the day?! Unless these workmen are simply pretending to do their jobs and not actually fixing me, this doesn't make sense!" Diesel 10 said, frustrated. "The only other explanation for this would be…that I'm…dying…" he trailed off.

His statement was met with a heavy silence. Neither Den, Dart, or Lady knew how to respond.

"Well! Apparently I'm right!" said Diesel 10.

"Oh no," Den muttered.

"Why am I being cooped up like this?! If I'm not going to survive, there's no sense in keeping me confined!" Diesel 10 snapped at the two shunters.

"Diesel 10, we're not confining you. We only want to keep an eye on you, so you don't get worse any faster—" Dart began, but the warship had stormed out, nearly running over several workmen in the process. "If I'm not going to last much longer, then I'll do whatever I want! To _hell_ with the Fat Controller and his orders!" he shouted as he left the works.

Den, Dart and Lady followed; all fearing that Diesel 10 may act rashly, though all of them were worried for his sake. While Lady did fear that he may harm someone, she was quickly overcome by a strong desire to help him. After all, Diesel 10 was very upset.

Lady never thought that she would find herself chasing after Diesel 10, rather than the other way around. Yet here she was, and not only that, but she found herself worrying about the welfare of the big diesel, hoping that he was alright.

Unfortunately for Lady, Den and Dart, they were no match for the warship's speed. Even in his weakened state, Diesel 10 had quickly lost them, getting so far ahead that they had long since lost sight of him.

"Oh, we'll never find him now! He could be anywhere!" Dart moaned.

"We mustn't give up!" Lady said, thinking that he could have crashed, or broken down. She hoped that he was alright.

The three of them decided to split up and search for him, and while doing so, they let everyone whom they saw know that Diesel 10 was on the loose. Unfortunately, many of the island's steam engines took this the wrong way. Thinking that Diesel 10 was out on a murderous rampage, they set out to stop him at all costs.

Diesel 10, however, had stalled on the main line. Gordon, who was on the same track, saw him up ahead and braked hard. He was barely able to stop in time, and avoided a major collision by mere inches.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I've caught the rampaging diesel," Gordon remarked haughtily. Within moments, several other engines pulled up alongside and surrounded the warship. However, it was clear that something was wrong. Diesel 10 was wheezing harshly; his engine was rattling and spluttering. While Gordon had been excited about catching Diesel 10 before he did any harm, along with James, Emily, and Thomas, that excitement quickly died down upon seeing him in such distress.

Soon, Den, Dart and Lady caught up. Den and Dart approached the group of engines, while Lady kept a bit of distance.

"Come on big guy, I'm taking you back to the Dieselworks," Den said as he coupled up to Diesel 10 and started to pull him away. Diesel 10 groaned in protest, and tried to break away, but his already strained engine gave out completely. Sighing in defeat, he looked down as he was easily pulled away.

Gordon, James, Emily, and Thomas all stared as Den and Diesel 10 disappeared into the distance. As Lady headed back to the Dieselworks, she could hear Dart's voice addressing the steam engines: "There's something I ought to tell you…I'm not supposed to, but I think you all need to know,"

At the Dieselworks, Diesel 10 was looked over by the workmen. It appeared that all that running about the island had made Diesel 10's condition much worse. His engine had failed, and failed badly.

"How much longer…?" Lady asked hesitantly.

"We don't know," Den said sadly, and he left to get supplies, leaving the two alone.

Diesel 10 looked miserable. He closed his eyes tightly, trembling, looking like he was ready to burst into tears.

Though her mind told her to keep her distance because he was clearly upset, Lady's heart won out. After a few minutes of staring, she moved forward, inching closer until she was once again face to face with Diesel 10. Finally, she coupled to him, and moved back and forth ever so slightly, so that he rocked back and forth on his wheels. As she did this, Diesel 10 made no move to harm her, nor did he say any angry words. Eventually, he calmed down, and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

It was late at night when Lady woke up quite suddenly. She was feeling uneasy, as if something was very wrong. Looking around, she saw that she was in the Dieselworks, and realized that she must have fallen asleep there. Under normal circumstances, she would have been panicked by waking up at the Dieselworks, but now she no longer had any fear of the engine that had once chased her down.

Directly in front of her was Diesel 10, who was looking quite terrible to say the least. His face chalky white, the big diesel sat there, listless and silent.

Lady once again coupled to him, silently cursing herself for becoming so attached. As she did so, Diesel 10's eyes twitched slightly, as if trying to open. The realization that the once fearsome engine was barely clinging to life; too weak to even open his eyes, hit Lady like a sledgehammer to the face.

"Of all the engines I had to catch feelings for, it had to be you…" Lady said; her eyes brimming with tears. She moved in closer, pressing her face against his. Unable to hold back anymore, she wept, letting her tears run onto his cheek. She couldn't help but be surprised that Diesel 10's face wasn't rough or scratchy, though it was unsettlingly cold.

"I won't let you be alone," Lady said, choking back a sob. "I don't even know if you can hear me, but I care about you…more than you can imagine…" Lady paused, then whispered sorrowfully, "more than I ever imagined." She remained there, crying herself to sleep.

The next morning, Lady awoke feeling something; a weight on her boiler. As her eyes adjusted, she was pleasantly surprised. Diesel 10 was awake, and he was…smiling at her? Lady blinked a few times, noticing that he looked somewhat less pale too. As the bigger engine retracted his claw, she realized that the weight she had been feeling was his claw resting on her. After a moment of awkward silence, Lady spoke up. "Well, it looks like they found a way to fix you," she said with a smile.

"Actually, um…" Den's voice was heard from across the works.

"What he means to say is that no, we didn't," said Dart.

"Oh…" Lady said sadly, looking down at her buffers.

"We came to check on him about an hour ago and he was awake, we don't know how he's doing better," said Dart.

Diesel 10 gave Lady an incredulous look. "Wait a minute, I thought maybe you had used your special whatever-it-is to save me for whatever reason," he said.

"W-well i-if I did I certainly didn't mean to," Lady stammered, then froze upon seeing the hurt look on Diesel 10's face. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I just didn't—I was so worried—I thought you weren't going to make it! I can leave…if you want…" Lady said, looking down as she backed up ever so slightly.

"Hmm…well, I suppose you can stay. After all, you did save my life, even if it was by accident," Diesel 10 mused.

Lady stopped, cringing at his words.

"Oh, come now, don't leave. Besides, I think this may be a new beginning, not only for me, of course." Diesel 10 said with a smirk.

"I…I care about you…" Lady muttered halfheartedly.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you," Diesel 10 said, looking at her mischievously.

"I…I…" Lady stammered.

"Come now, puffball, I haven't got all day," said Diesel 10.

"I care about you! A _lot_! More than…more than anything…I-I mean more than I thought I'd ever love—oh my…well I've certainly stuck my wheel in my mouth," Lady said, flushing scarlet.

"HA! You admitted it!" Diesel 10 said triumphantly, much to Lady's embarrassment. "Stay here, please?" he said in a softer voice.

"Of course," Lady said with a smile.

For the next several days, Lady stayed at the Dieselworks, keeping a close eye on Diesel 10. She would stay there until he completely recovered, and perhaps even longer.


End file.
